Over the course of his illustrious career, Ted Nugent has carved a permanent place in rock history. To date, the guitar legend and Motor City Madman has sold more than forty million albums and performed just shy of seven thousand shows.

On Nov. 9 Nugent, along with bass virtuoso Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless, will release a brand-new album, aptly titled, The Music Made Me Do It. As an added bonus, each CD will include a full-length concert DVD, “Live At Freedom Hill,” captured at the Freedom Hill Amphitheatre in Sterling Heights, Michigan in 2017. To tease the new album and raw energy of his live concert experience, Nugent has also released a video for the album’s title track that was shot at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.

AXS recently spoke with Nugent about The Music Made Me Do It, his career and more in this exclusive new interview.

AXS: How did this project come about? What inspired it?

Ted Nugent: It’s not about spurts of inspiration. It’s about constant inspiration. I’m inspired every day I grab a Gibson guitar and go into uncharted territory. I figured out my American freedom and individuality a long time ago. When I’m outdoors and removed from music and the clusterf#ck of politics it cleanses my soul. We all need to escape, but that’s not to say we need to abandon responsibility. I’m so engaged in this beloved experiment in self-government and I raise as much hell in this guitar playing, we the people as I possibly can. I fight for the Constitution, Bill of Rights and freedom, and to raise the battle cry of “America First”. That’s why my music is the most soul cleansing, nature-is-healer, rhythm and blues, rock and roll groove fest.

AXS: What’s your writing process like?

TN: I’ve never in my life sat down with a pen and paper and said, “Hmm. What shall I write a song about today?” [laughs]. F#ck that! I just pick up my guitar and start pounding and create more bastard children of honky tonk and boogie-woogie. My hands start moving and I sing lyrics that are my life. It’s almost out-of-body. I’ve never contemplated chord structures or lyrics. I just love to go on adventures on the guitar neck.